I have always been a heavier person, and my weight has steadily increased since high school. I reached the largest I have ever been last year. A number I so unimaginable I cried when I saw it. I was in a very unhealthy relationship, and I let it be an excuse to stop caring about myself. When I got away from that situation, I finally started taking charge of my life.Getting healthy both physically and mentally was my and is my main focus right now. Since I started my weight loss journey I have dropped about 62 pounds.

I told Chas when I started at Devetter Fitness, that I wanted to loose 100 lbs in my year here, and I have until August to make that come true. I am confident I can and will achieve this!

Long term, I have always said I want to run a marathon. Notwithstanding a current knee injury, I am already signed up for The 5k Color Run in July! I am making this change to a healthy lifestyle now at 26 so I can carry it through the rest of my life and teach my children some day. I never had the education or encouragement to be healthy and active growing up, so this is something really important to me.

What motivated you to call DeVetter Fitness and get serious about your goals?

Before coming to Devetter Fitness, I had been on Weight Watchers for a couple of months and lost about 15 lbs. I wanted to start exercising, but I realized I had no idea what I was doing. I knew from past experience that I get discouraged easily. I was not confident enough in myself at that point to push myself or hold myself accountable. I knew I needed expert help!

How have you changed during the process of this health and fitness journey that you are on?

I feel like a very different person. When I joined DeVetter Fitness, I was bouncing back from a bad breakup. I was depressed and needing to make a change in my life. I have found so much joy in changing my body into something I can be proud of. I am so much more aware of what is going in my body. I can see and feel the changes that have taken place. I have energy and confidence that I haven’t felt in years. What’s more, I feel like I can trust myself again. I haven’t given up when it has gotten hard. I have proven to myself that I can make a goal and stick to it. I have proven to myself that I am capable of enacting long term positive changes in my life. I feel so much better about myself, it is amazing. Being healthy is no longer a chore for me, it is just my life. I don’t even think about it, it’s how I exist now. I don’t ever want to go back to what I was before.

What have been the 3 most important things that have helped you with your success?

Learning patience. I did not gain all this weight in one day; it sure is not coming off in one day. It doesn’t matter how long this takes as long as it is happening. 6 months from now I will look back and think, “Wow that went by so fast!” I can’t get discouraged if the scale doesn’t go down every day. Perseverance is my new mantra.

Allowing myself to be human. I am not going to be 100% good every single day. I am going to go out to the bars with my friends. I am going to have a piece of birthday cake. There are moments in life that are going to involve food or missing a workout that I am going to enjoy. There is no point in going through all of this if I end up missing out on the fun times. That also doesn’t mean I need to drink a bottle of wine every week!

Bad days (or even weeks) are going to happen. There are times when I get frustrated, where the scale goes up despite my doing everything right. There are times where I think, “Why is this so hard for me and not everyone else? Do I really need to try this hard for the rest of my life? This is so stupid!” I get tired of having to watch everything I eat and having to make time to work out after my long work day. It can be exhausting. The thing is, I allow myself to feel this way. There are days, and I have even had entire weeks where I say, “Screw it!” and don’t count calories or work out. Sometimes, taking a break is what I need to recharge. I don’t let this become a permanent situation though. I have my break, take a breath, and get up and get going again.

What is your favorite exercise?

Squats!! Jump squats, goblet squats, lunges, you name it. The burn you get in your glutes = best feeling ever. I love feeling like I have strong legs. I love the definition I am finally getting too.

What is your favorite healthy food and favorite cheat item?

Favorite healthy food is a tie between pineapple and turkey. I could eat pineapple for days. Favorite cheat item is definitely Vic’s popcorn (a mix of half salt and cheese… Mmmm). Oh and wine. I LOVE wine.

What tips do you have for any one has goals of losing 30, 40, 50 pounds or more?

I used to always be the person that would lose 10 lbs, get frustrated when I stalled, and then give up and gain 15 back. Don’t look at it as the big picture. I want to loose 100 lbs in a year. That’s crazy, right!? The number itself is SO intimidating and scary. Break it down into small, attainable goals. 100 lbs sounds impossible. 1-2 pounds this week is MUCH more attainable. Some weeks, you’ll loose 1 lb, some weeks you’ll loose 3, and some weeks you might gain. The point is to never give up. The small ups and downs on a daily basis are not worth stressing over! Weigh yourself once a week and that’s it. Put the scale in the closet. Consistency over the long term is what we are all after.

My long term goal was to lose 85 pounds. As a competitive tennis player I also wanted to increase my strength and quickness to get better results on the court. To date I have lost about 53 pounds, with 43 of it as a client at DeVetter Fitness. In addition to this I have lost 4 pants sizes and inches all over! I feel and look like a new person.

What motivated you to call DeVetter Fitness and get serious about your goals?

I lost my mother to breast cancer over Labor Day this past year. She always wanted me to be healthier and reduce my risk of getting the disease myself. Being overweight is one of the highest risk factors for this type of cancer. I have been “trying” to lose weight for a long time, but wasn’t seeing the results. I felt like I owed it to her and to myself to make the changes that I needed. I knew that I needed more accountability to push myself. My best friend had success with their programs, so I thought I would give it a try and signed up for a 3-week program to try it out.

How have you changed during the process of this health and fitness journey that you are on?

The physical results are obvious. However, there is so much more than that. I am much more confident and handle stress much better than I have in the past. With a busy job teaching and coaching, I have always struggled to find time to do things for myself like exercise. Now I look forward to boot camp, even at 6 AM. And I am NOT a morning person. I’m still busy, but I take the time to plan for it. I have healthy food on hand, and know which choices are good for me if I need to eat on the run.

What have been the 3 most important things that have helped you with your success?

1. Honestly tracking my food using MyFitnessPal

2. Regularly attending boot camp

3. Getting information from the training staff at DeVetter when I have struggled or had questions along the way.

4. Using both measurements AND the scale to measure success. My measurements changed much quicker than the scale did.

What is your favorite exercise?

Tennis would be my favorite for cardio. At boot camp it is the speed ladder!

What is your favorite healthy food and favorite cheat item?

My favorite healthy foods are Quest bars (especially the cookie dough kind). They satisfy the urge for sweet foods and I don’t crave candy and other things that I used to eat. My favorite and most often used cheats are adult beverages and sushi. Now they are even more enjoyable because I save up for them and really enjoy them when I have them.

What tips do you have for any one has goals of losing 30, 40, 50 pounds or more?

1. Set small goals along the way and celebrate each milestone with a new pair of jeans or piece of clothing that really fits you. Get rid of what’s too big other than an item to remind you how far you have come.

2. If you have a bad day or week on the scale, look at what went wrong and how you can do better. But, don’t beat yourself up. Celebrate what you did right and learn how to do better the next time.

3. Own your success. Look at photos of your old self. Celebrate the new person that you see in the mirror. When you get compliments, thank the person and tell them that you’ve been working hard.

Many of our clients come in when they are 30, 40 or 50 with a similar story. The story goes something like this… “I can’t lose weight like I used to! I used to have this system of ________ (insert extreme calorie cutting method). But it just doesn’t work anymore!”

Does that sound like a familiar scenario? If so, it’s not your fault.

You did not know any better and you certainly didn’t realize that you were likely doing more harm than good.

Today I am going to show you why extreme deprivation/calorie cutting diets lead to up and down cyclical yo-yo dieting.

When you cut calories drastically your body loses a lot of muscle, which slows down your metabolism. That means, you can’t eat what you used to in order to lose or even maintain your weight.

But, there is an alternative. Focus on changing your body composition. In other words, do everything that you can to lose only body fat and maintain muscle. This will look a lot different that just drastically cutting calories.

Below I have an example of why it is important to focus on body composition and not just weight. This example was taken from Tom Venuto’s book “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.”

Tom Venuto

Sample Character Chris

Before the Diet

200 lbs body weight

36 lbs (18 percent) body fat

164 lbs lean body mass

After the Diet

179 lbs body weight

26.5 lbs (14.8%) body fat

152.5 lbs lean body mass

21 lbs weight loss

9.5 lbs fat loss

11.5 lbs lean body mass LOSS

Six Weeks After the Diet Ends

200 lbs body weight

41.1 lbs (20.5%) body fat

158.9 lbs lean mass

In this example Chris gained back all the body weight that he lost including 5lbs more body fat than what he had to start.

So that is it! That is one of the main causes of yo-yo dieting. It is not lack of willpower or wanting to lose weight and get healthy. The main cause is not understanding how your body works!

When you go on a severely calorie restricted diet you are doing more harm than good.

To lose weight or body fat for life and not just a couple of weeks you need to do things the right way.

Burn the fat and feed the muscle!

If you are not sure where to start give DeVetter Fitness a call for a free health and fitness consultation. If you have any questions or comments, make sure to leave a comment below.

If you have not heard- March Madness is here. In my opinion the real March Madness is the Division I Wrestling Tournament that starts this week. But, I know I am out numbered in that debate!

Either way, there are 5 huge lessons you can learn from these dedicated, talented athletes in pursuit of your health and fitness goals! And they all still pertain whether you are an average Joe/Jane that hates to work out, or a has-been work out warrior who is completely out of shape right now.

Also, at the end of the post is a link to register to win over $1200 in training to get your fit on just in time for outdoor pool and barbeque season!

So, here are 5 tips that you can learn from amazing athletes to help you reach your health and fitness goals!

1. You Must have a POWERFUL and Compelling Purpose or Goal

Basketball players want their team to win the title. Wrestlers want to become individual and team champions. What is your goal?

Tell me this. Do you love working out? I mean every day, getting great strength and cardio work outs in. I doubt it. I know I don’t! There are often days when I don’t feel like working out. And most of our clients are the same- they don’t always LOVE working out. Not only that, but the hardest part of losing weight and body fat is cutting out the tasty junk and sticking with eating healthy food. All the more reason to have a strong reason. If your goal is not important, you will not do what needs done to get to the goal (Unless you develop a love for working out over night!)

2. Make it a Priority

Do you think that Doug McDermot and the Jays show up for practice even on days they get busy doing other things or don’t feel like practicing? Do you think that Tony Ramos and the Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers work out even when they are sore or tired from a stressful week?

I would guess that they don’t miss. Period. You have to develop consistency in exercise, healthy shopping, planning ahead, and the other things you need to get in shape. Dan Gable is famous for saying “If it is important, do it every day.” If that means you skip your favorite t.v. show, or a night out with the girls watching “The Bachelor”, then that is what you have to do!

3. Make it Social

The best teams have unity and friendships that help them succeed. The same is true for you! Make sure that you have people on your team that will help you and encourage you. Maybe even let you know if you are slipping a bit. At DeVetter Fitness, we are really good at that. So if you need a little help, call or e-mail today and we will be there to help you to the championship of your goals.

4. Have a Proven Game Plan

I am a huge John Wooden Fan, even as a wrestling coach and former wrestler. He had a great plan for each practice, week, game, and season. Everything was planned out to a T. And he had a proven plan that he was always working on to make even better. Don’t just start trying to eat healthy or going to the gym with out a plan. Make sure that you have a plan for success.

5. Enjoy the Process

The best athletes know that with the hard work, blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice they are working toward their goals and that they won’t be able to do it forever. They enjoy it while it lasts. Nothing reminds you of that like being sick or injured and not being able to do the things that you usually do. So, even if it is hard, make sure to enjoy the process of improving your health and wellness. Make sure to celebrate even the little victories and to forgive yourself when you make a mistake. Be thankful that you are healthy enough to have the abillity to choose to make those changes. And make sure to enjoy the time that you spend with others who are helping you on the way even if it involves a little sweat and healthy eating!

Now, the part where you can win 6 months of Boot Camp! All totally free!! Just click here, and follow the instructions. It won’t take more than two minutes. I promise! Hurry and get entered, because the deadline is Friday March 21st at 5 p.m.

WOW! That title is all over the place, but only because I have some cool stuff to share today.

As I write this I am enjoying a beautiful ocean view in lovely Red Frog Beach, Panama. My wife Jeannine and I have been having such a great time and all without completely wrecking our health and fitness goals.

Just chilling out, thinking back on our activities of the day got me thinking… since you can’t have me on vacation, maybe it would be helpful to give you a go to work out to keep you on track to your health and fitness goals.

Along with the tips I have included a delicious mango salsa garnish that you could use on fish or chicken (not with chips because we are trying to have a healthy vacation, right?).

I am calling the TRX work out the Monkey Work Out because I saw 5 white faced monkeys while working out in the jungle. How cool is that- working out in the jungle with monkeys? It is definitely one of my top 10 favorite work outs ever!

Before I get to the good stuff, I want you to know that I realize that most people like to relax and unwind on vacation with lots of rich food and drinks. I am not saying you have to forgo all that.

I just feel bad for our clients and friends who work so hard, then take two steps back by eating whatever they want and not working out on vacation. It’s not worth it. If you try to eat healthy and limit your adult beverages (notice that I did not say eliminate), you can relax, unwind, and not feel guilty about it when you come back! So here is the Mango Salsa and the Monkey Work Out.

Espero que te guste. I hope that you like it (or something close to that)

The name of this post may sound familiar to those of you who have read “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” by Stephan Covey.

These tips do not follow the outline of the book closely, but like the habits in the book, they deal with changing your whole mindset when it comes to your health!

So here you go. Make sure to leave a comment if any of these really hit home for you!

1. Control what you can—What you eat, your exercise, sleep…

2. When you control what you can, realize that your weight WILL fluctuate (especially for women), no matter how well you are doing. Look at the trend over time. It’s just like the stock market. You can’t freak out if your stock goes down one week; instead, you should look at the trends over time. Some weeks you will lose more than others. Some weeks you may not lose. Remember that you are in it for the long haul! And most of our clients that have had amazing transformations have done it over time by changing habits. They did not give up even if they had a bad week.

3. Make eating and exercise habits a lifestyle. What you eat will account for at least 75% of your results. When you combine eating, exercise and all of the components in a complete program, you can build lean muscle, lose body fat and tone up all at once.

4. Remember that although weight loss is a good goal, it is not the only thing to watch. Maybe even more important are inches, how your clothes fit, body fat and energy levels. If you have not already read the article about 5 women who all weigh the same, click here and read it.

5. Replace lesser habits with habits that are conducive with your goals- A large part of changing your lifestyle to a healthier lifestyle is to replace other habits, even non destructive ones, with habits that help you eat healthy and stay active. Sadly, we only have 24 hours in a day, so that may mean cutting out some TV shows or social events to make time for new priorities. But if the goal is important to you, it will be worth it!

6. FindSocial support and accountability. Weight loss is hard. There will be times that you stall or slow down. It can be easy to get frustrated and give up, but don’t do it! Surround yourself with people, whether it’s family, friends or a trainer, who will help you through.

7. Address the physical, mental and spiritual issues that may be holding you back! Some people discover that they have always seen themselves as heavy, and so mentally they have a hard time realizing that they can get healthy. Some people use food to cope with stress or other issues that come up. Going through this journey you can learn a lot about yourself.

8. Okay, there is a bonus. #8 is to KNOW thatyou can do this! No matter how many times you have tried quick fixes or diets and failed. You can develop a healthy lifestyle that will lead to the results you are looking for. But it won’t happen if you don’t think that it can. Think about that for a minute…

Everyone is talking about Rachel on The Biggest Loser! Rachel, who was a former competitive swimmer lost 155 pounds while on The Biggest Loser. She went from a starting weight of 260 to 105 pounds. That is an incredible amount of weight loss. The most shocking thing was what Rachel looked like at the final weigh-in after she had been working out on her own at home.

Check out Rachel’s before and after pictures on the right.

She does not look anything like when she first started. In fact she is much thinner than many of the photos of her when she was swimming competitively. Many people think that she looks unhealthy and sick. Here is my take:

First of all, I don’t think it is fair for me or anyone else to tell someone if they should lose weight (although we can help you if you want 🙂 ) OR to gain weight. Saying that Rachel needs to gain weight is no different than telling someone that they are heavy and need to lose weight. It is not generally anyone else’s business. Our value is not defined by how we look or what the scale says. No one should feel inferior because of their weight or looks.

Rachel at her starting weight of 260 pounds.

Next, there is a $250,000 prize on the line for The Biggest Loser. I guarantee that many if not all of the contestants are eating less and drinking less the day or two before the weigh-ins. I would be willing to be that Rachel’s sucked down look is from trying to be at the lowest weight possible for this competition. I would guess that she was at least 10 pounds heavier a few days before. That is not ideal, and you should not do it on a regular basis, but tell me that you would not do it one time for a shot at $250,000… I doubt that too many of you would say that.

My hope for Rachel is that she changed her lifestyle to one of eating healthy nutrient-dense foods and working out on a regular basis. I can’t tell you if that is the case with her or not. The hardest part about a show like The Biggest Loser is that the contestants have to go back to the real world with all of its stresses and the lack of trainers, time and nutritionists on call 24 hours per day. There have been some contestants who have kept their healthy lifestyle after they left and many more that have gone right back to where they started.

The biggest thing that they and you need to know is that health and wellness is a process and a lifestyle. It is not a destination. Set goals. When you reach those goals, set new goals. Find people and things that help encourage you in that lifestyle. If you do that, you are on your way to achieving your health and fitness goals for life!